


A Well-Deserved Cup of Coco

by swamppopsoda



Category: RWBY
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scenes, Oscar Pine Needs a Hug, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:46:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27789952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swamppopsoda/pseuds/swamppopsoda
Summary: Being an Oscar Pine stan sure is though work huh? What with our fav getting the spit knocked out of him 80% of the time he’s on screen. Well why don’t you come and take a load off with a cup of well-deserved hot coco? Kick back and relax with some Oscar stories that give our favorite farm boy the love, care, and wholesome found family fluff that he deserves and nothing bad happens ever.A series of one shots/short stories to help all my fellow Oscar fans cope. Please enjoy.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 72





	1. Jaune's Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune: *starts to apologize*  
> Oscar: No it’s oka-  
> Me: NONONO, let him finish

The Cotta-Arc house was nice. The couches were plush and comfy. The dark wood bookshelves were stocked with familiar titles. And the first floor smelled like Aunt Orla’s casserole that Oscar had only slightly burned. The night life in Argus was quieter than Mistral, Oscar noted. Inside the house, not so much. Someone, he assumed Terra or Saffron, was shuffling around in the room right above Oscar’s head with a hiccupping Adrian. In the kitchen a single light was on and he could hear muted voices. Nora had gone up and down the stairs at least three times in the last hour. What she was doing was anyone’s guess. And Oscar was pretty sure he had heard Ren go out the backdoor into the garden a short while before.   
Everyone was tense it seemed. Go figure. They had only one more day to figure out their plan and work out all the fine details before officially becoming felons. Jaune had been working around the clock with Saffron and Terra to figure out the geographical nuances while Ruby had been drilling the motions and roles into the team. Everything had to go perfectly. Oscar rolled over and mushed his face into the pillow. Qrow had spent the last couple days sobering up which was a relief. Oscar had only known the man a short while and the last week was definitely going to be a black spot on their relationship. He wrapped his arms around the pillow and squeezed as his mind involuntarily played back that painful moment that had happened only a few days before. And when Oscar had come back from his small shopping session… well. 

He genuinely hadn’t expected them to notice he was gone. Much less greet him as they had. Even Qrow cracked a smile when Oscar had opened the door. Since then though, still nothing. Qrow barely even looked at Oscar. And Jaune… 

In a huff Oscar sat up and clutched the pillow to his chest suddenly feeling very small and not at all like sleeping. Instead he stared at the bookshelf across the room, straining his eyes to try and puzzle out the titles.

He really wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about his “team.” It was no secret that he was involuntarily added to the group. And for a while it had seemed like they cared about him. This last week though had seriously put some doubts into Oscar’s mind. Actually, he mused as his stare burned holes into the dark, those doubts had always been there. It just took a historical revelation for them to really put down roots. And now Oscar wasn’t sure if they would ever go away.   
Did they really want him here? Were they just tolerating him because he has what they need? Are they going to drop him as soon as, whatever this is, is over? Do they actually consider him a part of the team? Why do they keep hitting him? Don’t they know that he’s Oscar? Not Ozpin?  
Oscar sniffed loudly before he realized his mistake. The voices in the kitchen stopped. 

_Shit! Stop drop and roll!_

Oscar was sure if Ozpin was there, he would have chuckled at Oscar’s frantic thoughts, and then chided that he had nothing to be afraid of from his own teammates. Oz wasn’t there though and Oscar wasn’t taking any chances. He dropped back down onto the couch so fast he heard something in his neck crack. The light in the kitchen disappeared and he quickly tried to decipher which sleeping position would look least suspicious. Footsteps exited the kitchen just as he barely managed to messily pull the blanket all the way over his head so just the top of his hair was poking out. 

_Nice work Oscar, that doesn’t look suspicious at all._

He slowed his breathing as best he could as he listened to the footsteps quietly going up the stairs. He waited until he heard the click of a door shutting at the top of the landing before he pulled away the blanket. 

It took all Oscar’s willpower not to scream at the sight of Jaune’s big, blue eyes staring down at him. Unfortunately that left no willpower to stop him from jerking so badly in fright that he promptly fell off the couch. 

There was a loud thud as his right side connected with the hard floor and he struggled not to yell every curse word he knew right at that moment. 

“Oh jeez,” Jaune smoothly jumped over the back of the couch from where he had been standing to sit down and peer at Oscar on the floor, “You okay there bud?” 

“Just peachy Jaune, I love when people watch me sleep.” Oscar groaned into the carpet. He hoped that in the dark, facing away was all he needed to do to hide the red he felt burning his face and ears. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just, well I thought I heard something so I thought I’d check up on you.”

“Must’ve just been me snoring. Weird. Okay well, as you can see I’m perfectly fine. Goodnight Jaune.”

“Oscar,”

“Can I help you?”

“Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay Jaune! I’ve just spent the last couple months having my entire world view shattered, but other than that I’m great! Why do you ask?”

“Well uh, it’s just that, you’re still on the floor.”

_Oops._

Oscar rolled over, wiping away the tear tracks he was sure were still on his face in the process, and fixed his gaze quite firmly on the ceiling, “Yeah. Sometimes you just have to lay on the floor you know.”

“I guess I get that. But still,” Jaune slid off the couch to kneel beside Oscar, “it’s bad for your back and no good to sleep on. Come on, up you get.”

Oscar let out a small yelp in surprise as Jaune easily scooped him, and the tangle of blankets he had pulled off the couch with him, up into his arms and then gently plopped him back onto the couch. 

Oscar squirmed for a second trying to regain some hold of the situation and of his dignity to no avail. Jaune’s experience as a brother was in full effect as he tucked Oscar in so tightly and cozily that Oscar found he didn’t really want to move. 

“There. Much better.” Jaune finished plumping the pillow behind Oscar’s head before stepping back to survey his handiwork. 

“Um thanks? Listen Jaune, I appreciate whatever this is, but I’m fine. Really. I told you guys yesterday. So you can leave now. Go to bed and get some sleep and stop bothering yourself with something that doesn’t need to be fixed.”

“Oscar,” Jaune sat down on the floor near Oscar’s feet, “I’m sorry.”

“Jaune I alrea-“

“No, let me finish this time. I’ve really thought about it and yes, you deserve an apology because no, this is not okay.” 

Jaune took a deep breath and stared out at the same bookshelf Oscar had been looking at earlier, “I owe you several apologies actually. Or maybe just one big one. And I want to do it now so that we can go into the future, whatever that entails, together as a team. A real team. And team members communicate with each other.”  
Oscar shifted slightly down into the blankets, unsure of how to respond.   
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I got angry with you when I was angry with Oz. I’m sorry I hurt you, and pushed you away, and that I didn’t treat you like a person. We’ve just been stringing you along on this crazy mission and you have been so incredible while we.” Jaune sighed and let his head fall back against the couch cushions, “We’ve just been kind of shitty about this whole thing. In fact, I don’t think we ever really properly welcomed you into the group as Oscar Pine. You just showed up one day as ‘Ozpin’s reincarnation’ and we haven’t really treated you as anything much else since.”  
Oscar didn’t bother trying to hide his sniffles this time as he listened to Jaune. He let himself cry freely. He cried for himself, for the loses he knew he hadn’t quite registered yet. For his team, who had lost so much. For his new friends. For Ruby. For Jaune. For Qrow. Well, maybe not for Jaune. Because Jaune’s open eyes were shining with unshed tears of his own. 

“I’m sorry Oscar. And I want you to know that. I want you to know that I’m happy to have you on my team, for you to be a part of my family. We haven’t known each very long but, if you’re willing, I’d like to start over a little and meet you properly this time.”

Oscar wiggled until one of his arms came free of the blanket burrito Jaune had wrapped him in and wiped away his tears on the sleeve of the hoodie he was wearing. It was Jaune’s hoodie actually. Apparently one of his old ones that Saffron coincidentally happened to have lying around. It fit Oscar just fine as pajamas.   
As Oscar’s tears stained the already faded orange fabric he felt a weird squeezing feeling in his chest. Like his heart was that pillow he had been taking his frustrations on earlier. And somehow the sight of his tears on Jaune’s old sweatshirt seemed so disgustingly poetic and symbolic, though he couldn’t place quite how, that it just made him cry harder until he was curled in on himself full on sobbing. 

“Woah, woah hey.” 

Oscar felt the couch shift as Jaune took a seat near his legs. Strong arms snaked around his shoulders and pulled him off the couch and against Jaune’s chest. Normally Oscar would be mortified. However this wasn’t normal. None of this was. So instead he went with the only feasible option and wrapped his one free arm around Jaune and held on for dear life. He shook and cried silently while Jaune rubbed his back and muttered quiet reassurances into his hair. Distantly Oscar thought he was probably no different from Adrian at the moment. Slowly his choked sobs and gasps turned into stuttering breaths and sniffs. His stinging eyes drooped and his body suddenly felt like lead. 

Jaune pulled back slightly when Oscar’s weight began to slump into him, “You okay? For real this time.”

Oscar sighed and pulled his arm back and close to his chest, “No. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay while any of this is happening. But we have to keep moving forward right? I have to do my part just the same as anyone else. And that’s all that matters.”

Jaune moved his hand to softly play with Oscar’s hair. A habit he has likely picked up from his sisters, “That’s not true Oscar. Whether you think it or not, you’re a part of this family and we care about you. Your feelings matter just as much as any of ours do. Just because you’re the wizard or whatever, doesn’t mean you get to opt out of having mental and emotional breakdowns.” Jaune chuckled and pulled Oscar close again, placing his chin on top of Oscar’s head, “In fact with this group, having one of those is basically a right of passage. So welcome to team JNR, Oscar Pine, we’re happy to have you here.”

Oscar snickered in spite of himself, “Thanks Jaune. Glad to be on board.”

“Hmm. Tell you what.” Jaune pulled back so he could look Oscar in the eyes. He had been crying too, “When we get to Atlas, we’ll throw you a party. Like the Team Forming parties we had at Beacon. We’ll have cake and stay up all night playing videogames. How does that sound?”

Feeling sleepier by the moment, Oscar nodded and mumbled through a yawn, “That sounds great Jaune.”

“Alright. It’s a promise. For now though, you need your sleep young man.” Jaune gently laid Oscar back down and tucked him in again, smoothing out the blankets and fixing the areas he had sat on. 

“Thank you Jaune.” Oscar mumbled shyly, “For everything.”

“Of course,” Jaune pulled the last blanket up to Oscar’s chin and smoothed some of his hair out of his face, “And I’ll make sure I do better too. And don’t ever be afraid to let me know if you need anything. Okay?”

“Okay. Goodnight Jaune.” Oscar closed his eyes and let out a sigh, sinking into the comfy couch cushions.  
Jaune smiled at Oscar all cozied up before making his way to his own room. Halfway up the stairs he paused, “You know Oscar,” he murmured, “I’ve always wanted a little brother. And for what it’s worth, I think you may be him. Goodnight.”

Oscar smiled and snuggled down into the blankets. It was a while before he really fell asleep. Every now and then he felt a swell in his chest as tears threatened to fall again. But each time he managed to swallow past the knot in his throat and keep breathing easy. 

At some point Ren came in from outside. He was so quiet Oscar wouldn’t have noticed him except that he stopped to give him a small kiss on the forehead and an almost inaudible, “Sleep well, Oscar.”

Outside the city of Argus continued to bustle. Inside the house everything seemed to have finally calmed down. And Oscar slept well. Even through Nora making six more trips into the kitchen that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These stories aren't going to be linear by the way, I'm just going to post them as I finish them.


	2. Cake for One, Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gee RWBYJNR, how come Ironwood lets you have a whole cake and celebration all to yourselves? What’s that? You brought some back to Oscar? But it was offscreen? Gosh darn it, guess I have my work cut out for me here.

Atlas was cold. A stupid thing to be surprised by Oscar thought, but he hadn’t expected the cold to be this bad. It followed him no matter where he went. The Atlas academy dorms, the Atlas gardens, the training room, the cafeteria, everywhere was too darn cold for Oscar. It prickled across his skin and made him shiver even with his coat. The emptiness didn’t help.

His friends had gone out on their first mission today. Early that morning he had seen them off along with the General. To Ruby he gave a tentative wave. Their conversation earlier hadn’t exactly left a good taste in his mouth. Blake and Weiss both smiled and waved at him and Yang had ruffled his hair as she walked past.

He felt strange standing next to Jaune when Jaune looked like a proper huntsman. He seemed, different. Since Argus Oscar had really started to see him as a bit of an older brother. This new look threw him off. He didn’t like when Jaune looked professional, it made him unapproachable Oscar thought. The haircut didn’t help. Then of course Jaune threw out any intimidation factor when he picked Oscar up and swung him around in an ostentatious display of a hug. All of JNR actually seemed a little torn up about leaving Oscar behind which had surprised him. Nora even said something about bringing him back a souvenir from the abandoned, grimm infested dust mine.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be gone for too long!” she had chirped, straightening his jacket after Jaune had put him down, “And besides, you have General Ironwood and Penny to keep you company.” 

Then the General had left not long after. Along with Winter and Penny and that was everyone Oscar knew in Atlas except for Ms. Calavera and Mr. Polendina, who were both busy he was sure.

So that left just Oscar. Walking around Atlas Academy only took so long before he had all the routes he needed to know memorized. At one point he circled back to the dorm and checked the news on his scroll. Politics. Politics. Murder. Commercial for a robotic limb repair man. Politics. He turned off his scroll. Oscar looked out the window, past Mantle and to the tundra. He shivered.

“Uuuuggghhhh.” he threw his head back and let out a long groan. He was so tired of being cold and he hadn’t even been in Atlas for a week.

“I need to find somewhere to warm up.” He said to the empty room.

And so Oscar was off once again, trekking through the halls of Atlas Academy looking for something to fight back the cold. It took a while of winding through the building and asking for direction several times but finally he found his holy grail. The Commons. There were break rooms here and there in the Atlas military base and in the dorms, but they were no fun.

The Commons however, were a delight. A dark blue rug, not unlike the one in the General’s office, covered the expansive floor and was decorated with patterns in red and green. Plush leather couches and beautiful wooden tables were scattered about the room. Some had board games on them. Some were lined up in booths with terminals on them. And some were empty or home to a random array of objects. On one side of the room were vending machines with hot and cold drinks options next to a small kitchenette. Also on that side were cubbies full of specialized tools and a sign that said “Weapons Tune Up Rental! Check out using student ID on scroll.” There were beanbags and blankets also scattered about with random bookshelves. The far wall near the windows had a series of moving and interlocking glass doors with a sign in front of one of them that said, “Watching the General get Roasted on Mantle TV: Today at 14:00.” Inside that one Oscar could see a bunch of students sitting on the floor in piles of beanbags throwing popcorn at a TV that showed the news he had so recently turned off.

Oscar wasn’t here for any of that though. He was only here for one thing. The fireplace. On the other end of the room was a giant roaring fireplace. He had remembered Penny briefly mentioning it during their tour last night and he hoped it might help. There weren’t many students in the Commons at the moment; aside from the group in the fishbowl there was one student sitting at one of the terminal tables, another over by the tools, and four more laughing in the kitchenette space cooking something that smelled vaguely of cupcakes.

With the Commons mostly empty and next to no one on the side of the room with the fireplace, Oscar had no trouble getting comfortable in one of the large couches closest to the flickering fire. It was bliss. The heat rolled over him and almost physically pushed the last of the shivers out of his body. He sank into the cushions and sighed, listening to the sounds of Atlas Academy and thinking about nothing in particular.

He wondered how his friends were doing. Out of curiosity he pulled out his scroll and check for everyone’s auras. They didn’t show up on the gauge. He felt a brief prick of panic in his chest before he realized that they must just be out of range of the Academy still. Oscar tucked his scroll back away and settled so that he could sort of see the TV that the kids in the fishbowl were watching. He couldn’t hear anything but the bright images were a welcome distraction from the quietness of his own mind. And maybe if he squinted, he could pretend that he was in the fishbowl with them. That they were his friends and that he was a regular student here. That Aunt Orla was at home happy, knowing that her nephew was safe enrolled at Atlas, living out his dream of becoming something more.

Who was he kidding? Oscar was lonely. He was lonely and out of his depth and still not really sure what he was supposed to be doing. His strategy at the moment was an oldie but a goodie, a true paragon of wisdom, “Fake it till you make it.”

“Oooohhh I’m so fucked,” Oscar muttered and dragged his hands down his face. Thank gods Aunt Orla wasn’t here because she would have smacked him upside the head for using language like that. Tch, as if her own mouth didn’t put most sailors to shame.

Suddenly Oscar’s scroll buzzed. He looked up from the random spot on the wall he had, at some point, started staring blankly at and realized that outside the sun was setting and the fishbowl was empty. He checked the clock on his scroll. 17:23 and Qrow was calling him.

Oh man. He spaced out for two seconds and suddenly it was dark out? Oscar was quickly realizing that he hated the tundra. He sighed and shifted in his chair to warm the side of his body that hadn’t been facing the fire and answered his scroll.

“Hey Qrow, how’d it go?” he flinched at how worn out and tired he sounded. 

“Hey kid, it went really well actually. Listen, we’re almost back to base and I don’t have much time. Where are you right now?”

“Um, much time till what?”

“Answer the question Oscar, Marrow can only keep Ruby distracted for so long. We need to know where you are.”

“I’m in the Commons, near the fireplace. Why? Is everything okay? Qrow?”

“Shit! She figured it out. I gotta go just stay there okay?”

Oscar heard a tiny voice yell _Uncle Qrow!! You’re gonna ruin the supr-_ before the call ended leaving Oscar very confused.

He shrugged and tucked his scroll away. They probably just needed to know where he was because they were all paranoid that he was going to disappear with the Relic. Oscar settled back into the chair and stared into the fire, losing himself again to his thoughts.

So deep in thought was he that he didn’t even notice his entire team sneaking in until they all together let out a deafening, “ ** _SURPRISE!!!!!!!”_**

Oscar yelled and fell out of the chair, reaching for Long Memory until he realized what had happened. Ruby, Yang, Jaune, and Nora were all having a good laugh while Qrow chuckled and offered Oscar a hand.

“Sorry Oscar,” Yang managed between laughs, “Penny did it to us and we wanted to make sure you got the whole experience too.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you fall off a chair like that since Haven!” Ruby cackled.

Oscar chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, heh, I guess it has been a while since I’ve had a good fall like that.” He looked up at his team’s grinning faces, “So what exactly are you surprising me with? I thought you guys would still be with Ironwood having a mission debrief or whatever.”

“Ah we _did_ and then we had a party because,” Ruby whipped out her scroll and shoved it so close the blue light from the screen lit up the freckles on his nose, “we graduated! We’re official now!”

Oscar stepped back and took Ruby’s scroll to examine it at a distance that didn’t burn his retinas. It was true. There was Ruby, looking very somber and official and very much not like the Ruby he knew, plastered on an official Huntsman license.

“Wow,” he finally said after a long pause, “all of you?”

Everyone nodded, showing, Oscar noted, a very wide range of emotions.

“Huh, well congratulations! I guess I’ll have to keep working hard so I can be part of the official team too someday!” he handed Ruby’s scroll back to her.

“Well actually Oscar,” Yang stepped forward, both arms behind her back looking entirely too pleased with herself, “that’s why we’re here.”

Oscar cocked his head, letting his facial expression convey his confusion.

“Surprise!! Again!” she pulled her arms forward and unfurled and small banner.

**WELCOME TO THE TEAM OSCAR!!**

The letters were big and blocky and looked like they had been written in the back of a moving bus ( _plane more likely,_ Oscar thought) and surrounded by what he assumed were drawn on pieces of confetti. There were little scribbles too. Everyone had signed it with a little note. He recognized a lengthy paragraph in Jaune’s chicken scratch. There was a short stanza in Ren’s perfect calligraphy. Blake and Weiss had matching notes in equally neat cursive, though Weiss’ lettering was significantly more italic in nature. Everyone had written something. Even Penny and Qrow, he realized, as he stared at the banner.

Yang handed it to him as he gaped at the notes written by his friends.

“And that’s not all,” Penny came into his peripheral and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder, “we brought you celebratory pastries as well! Cake!” She pulled out a large container seemingly from nowhere while Jaune pulled over one of the tables.

“We already had some, but we tried to make sure we left enough to celebrate with you too!” Weiss produced some paper plates and napkins, “Well, except for Nora. But I get the feeling she could have a little more. Right?”

Nora grinned devilishly from where she was leaning near the fireplace, “You bethca! I could eat you guys under the table twice in one day.”

“I-,” Oscar kept looking between the banner and his friends. They were all clearly tired. Blake was yawning and staring into the fire with a small smile on her face, ears twitching. Ren was leaning heavily against Jaune who was slouching a little under the weight of his new armor. But here they were, they had remembered.

“Thanks guys, I’ll um,” Oscar carefully folded the banner and hugged it close to his chest, “I’ll read these later if that’s okay.”

“Of course Oscar, now let’s have some cake,” Weiss began putting precut pieces on the plates for everyone.

Oscar grabbed a piece and settled into a slightly larger couch than the single he had been on before. Jaune sat down to his right and Ren took a seat on his left. In spite of her fighting words, Nora opted out of any cake and instead laid down in their laps, with her head on Weiss’, who had squeezed in next to Ren. The rest the team RWBY plus Penny settled near the fire as Ruby began a colorful and lengthy retelling of their mission in the mines.

Oscar was really only half listening. His thoughts kept circling back. _They remembered._

“Hey,” Jaune nudged Oscar’s leg with his own, “I told you we’d throw you a proper welcoming party when we got to Atlas.”

Oscar smiled down at a smear of blue icing on his thumb, “Yeah, you did. I really appreciate this Jaune. Thank you.”

“Anytime Oscar.” Jaune put his arm around Oscar’s shoulder and pulled him into a half-hug. He had taken off most of his armor and Oscar realized that he was _warm._

“You’re really warm, did you know that?” Oscar mumbled into Jaune’s chest.

He heard a resigned sigh, “Yeah, I know.”

“Oooh are we using Jaune as a heater again?” Nora carefully sat up and climbed over Ren and Oscar to wedge herself between the arm of the couch and Jaune.

“Here we go.” Jaune smiled down at Oscar and ruffled his hair, “You’re going to regret saying that Oscar. I hope you like the position you’re in now cause you’re going to be there for a while.”

“Wha-oof!” Oscar barely had time to squeak out the question before Yang was jumping into the spot Ren had barely had time to vacate. She put an arm around Oscar and one around Ruby who squished in on Yang’s other side next to Weiss. Blake took Nora’s spot, stretching out over her team and facing the fire. Ren took a seat on the floor between Nora and Jaune.

“Umm, what are we doing?” Oscar was baffled by this wordless assembly.

“Cuddle puddle!” he heard Ruby’s jubilant shout, “Penny you too! Or wait, can you do cuddle puddles?”

“I do not know,” Penny approached cautiously, eyes sparkling, “but I would like to try!” She ended up sitting on the floor like Ren, with one of Ruby’s legs thrown over her shoulder and Blake playing with her hair.

“Cuddle puddle?” Oscar asked no one in particular.

“It’s an old tradition from when we all went to Beacon.” Nora explained. Our heater broke one night and we all found out Jaune is a total hot body so we used him as our heater! After that it became a whole thing and now… well you can see for yourself.”

They all sat together in their cuddle puddle for a while. At one point Qrow snapped a picture, “To send to Tai when we get Amity up.” he grinned and waved the scroll.

Oscar wasn’t sure how long they stayed there. Long enough that Blake started purring. He had no objections though. Pressed up between his teammates, listening to them talk excitedly about the mission and their new upgrades, the taste of sugar still lingering on his lips and the fire reflecting the metal toes of his boots. For the first time since arriving in Atlas, Oscar felt warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really personal for me to write because a lot of what happens is based on experiences I've had so I hope you all enjoyed it. Also Jaune and Yang are the hot-water-bottle-friends you can pry this headcannon out of my cold dead hands.


	3. Qrow's Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scene that I’m angry we NEVER got on screen I’ve been fuming about this one for *checks watch* two years and 26 days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also quick disclaimer about this chapter linearly: in canon we just saw the jump from them getting the ship to it being the middle of the night them having the conversation and “catch-up” and then immediately arriving in Atlas. That implies that they spent a good two or three hours sitting in silence. So for the sake of this conversation making sense, that conversation happened a good while before and this one is happening about halfway through their flight.

Oscar let his head drop back again the cold paneling of the airship. Through the metal he could feel the faint _wumwumwumwum_ noise of the engine and feel the vibrations of the wind streaming past. They had done it. Jaune’s plan had worked. Sort of. It took a lot of adlibbing and improvisation and bullshitting but they had gotten a ship and were on their way to Atlas.

Oscar looked down at his hands which were clasped tightly in his lap. He could still feel himself shaking. He closed his eyes and thought back to the fight. He knew from the get-go that he wouldn’t have been that useful in the mission. So while everyone had been running through their roles, Oscar had made it his silent mission to stay out of the way as best as he could. The decision left a sour taste in his mouth though. He didn’t like being useless. He wasn’t used to it. Back home he was always useful. Always a good pair of hands that others were glad to have around. Here though he just felt like dead weight. Especially with the knowledge that he couldn’t just rely on Ozpin to take over whenever things got sticky.

So Oscar resolved to stay out of the way. But within that resolve he also promised himself that he would look for any window of opportunity to be useful. To help his team. To be a _part_ of something.

And sure enough his moment had come. When Maria had told him to take the controls his instinct had taken over. In a brief moment of panic he’d thought, _It's just like driving a tractor probably!_

It was not just like driving a tractor. With Ozpin’s help though he had made the crash landing and everything had worked out. In the back of his mind something whispered that it was Ozpin’s doing that they were still on their way. Oscar ignored it and let himself feel a small flicker of pride at what he did with his own hands. Hands that were still shaking.

Oscar frowned and readjusted his legs to squish his traitorous appendages between his knees.

Then suddenly there was a shadow above him. Oscar looked up and flinched slightly at the sight of a hunched over Qrow towering above him. The two stared at each other, neither quite sure of what to say.

Oscar spoke first, “Is something wrong, Qrow?”

The man let out a sigh that Oscar was very quickly figuring out meant that he was battling internally with himself. Qrow dropped down into a crouch in front of Oscar so they were eye level. He seemed to fumble with himself over what to say for a few moments before settling, “Good work with that crash-landing kid. That was pretty impressive.”

Oscar looked back down at his hands, still smooshed between his knees. Still shaking, “That was all Oz you know.”

“Was Oz the one who landed the airship?”

“No. But he was the one who knew what to do.”

“Did he actually do it though?”

“…No.”

“A cookbook isn’t the one who cooks a meal just because it tells you how to, Oscar. Be proud of yourself, you landed that ship. No one else. And it’s thanks to you that the mission didn’t turn out for naught.”

“But-“

“No buts! Without the ship still intact we wouldn’t have been able to even stop the Leviathan. You saved a lot of lives Oscar. You did good.”

Where was this coming from? Oscar squinted at Qrow, trying to puzzle out the man’s motives, “Qrow, what’s going on? You haven’t spoken to me since Brunswick. You didn’t even notice I was gone the other night. What do you want?” Oscar flinched at how harsh he sounded but he was so tired of this. He just wanted people to be straightforward with him. Around here though, that was asking a lot.

“Listen kid I-” Qrow rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, looking anywhere but at Oscar. He sighed deeply, “Oscar, I wanted to apologize. For the other day, with Jinn.”

It was Oscar’s turn to sigh. So that was it, “It’s fine. Everyone was-”

“No, it’s not fine.” Qrow’s eyes burned as they finally met Oscar’s, “You’re a kid Oscar. A kid who has no business getting wrapped up in this world-sized mess.” Qrow stopped and took a deep breath, thinking through his next words.

“I’m sorry, Oscar. I haven’t been at my best for a while now and you shouldn’t have been the one to be at the end of that fuse. You’re not Ozpin and I have been… unfair to you. And I hope you’ll let me make it up to you.”

Oscar picked at the edges of his glove, letting Qrow’s words really sink in before responding.

“I’m not really sure uh, how you would.”

Qrow wilted a little. Oscar could see him folding in on himself, probably blaming himself.

“No no! Not like that. I mean,” Oscar took a breath and let his head fall back against the ship again, closing his eyes, “I don’t know how you would make it up to me. I’ve never been in a situation like this. I don’t know what I would ask from you. Does that make sense?” he opened his eyes and tilted his head to see Qrow chewing his lip.

“Yeah, I think I get it kid.” Qrow nodded and then settled himself properly next to Oscar against the wall of the airship, “How does this sound; since you don’t know what I can do to make it up to you, I’ll decide what I think you deserve.”

“I’m not following.”

“Well I think you deserve to have someone you can talk about anything that’s bothering you, no matter the circumstance. Someone who will give you answers to your questions, with no judgement because you’re still new to this all. Someone who you can take breaks with away from this crazy group of kids. Someone to train with if you’re having trouble working through something. Maybe even someone who you can guilt into bringing you hot chocolate at any hour of the day because they deserve being your barista after doing some things that they seriously regret.” Qrow ticked off his fingers with each condition he listed, “How does that sound?”

Oscar snickered into his hand, “That sounds like a lot Qrow, are you sure?”

“Hey, it’s nothing less than what I’ve done for any of the rest of these kids. Except Yang and Ruby; they’ve been the only ones with hot chocolate privilege up until this point.”

“Well, I’ll take it. Though I’m not quite sure about hot chocolate. I prefer coffee.”

Qrow’s eyebrows shot up, “Aren’t you a little young to be drinking coffee, Pipsqueak?”

Oscar huffed and crossed his arms in an exaggerated pout, “I’ll have you know that this ‘farm boy’ has had to wake up at all sorts of ungodsly hours to work on the farm where I’ve lived my whole life with only one other person. So yeah, I drink coffee.” He stopped as a short wave of memories brushed against the outsides of his consciousness, “When Aunt Orla would let me, anyways.”

If Oscar had been looking at Qrow, he probably would been extremely taken aback from the way the man was looking at him at the mention of his Aunt, as this was the first Qrow was hearing of her. Oscar had been a very private kid from the day they had all met him. The only things he’d told them is that he came from a farm somewhere in Midwestern Mistral. And this new tidbit of information brought forth a cascade of questions in the Huntsman’s mind. Where were Oscar’s parents? Was his Aunt all he had? And how many responsibilities to what might have been his only family did this kid leave behind to follow Ozpin?

Qrow quickly recovered, pushing the questions to the back of his mind for later and replaced his frown with a teasing smile, “Well, your Aunt sounds like a very smart woman. After all, too much coffee at too young an age can lead to stunted growth, dehydration, increased anxiety, and more sleeping problems. So how about we keep the coffee as a special occasion order?”

“Sounds good to me. Wait, how do you know all that stuff?”

Qrow cringed slightly and looked over at Ruby and Yang, who were talking quietly while their teammates snoozed on their shoulders, “Let’s just say it took one too many hangover mornings at the Xiao Long-Rose household for me to realize that my nieces thought Dad and Uncle’s ‘magic morning potion’ stash was a cure all for being tired and were helping themselves.”

Oscar also cringed at the idea of younger Yang and Ruby jacked up on pure caffeine, “Yikes. I can see how that must’ve ended.”

“Not well,” Qrow muttered, shaking his head. His expression brightened when he looked back down at Oscar, “Heh, you know, you actually kind of remind me of my nieces in a way. You’re just as determined as the both of them. Though admittedly you’re more polite than Yang was at your age. And definitely more worldly-wise than Ruby.” He paused, “ Uh, maybe don’t tell her I said that.”

Oscar giggled and gave Qrow a reassuring smile, “I won’t, don’t worry. I’m not sure I’d agree though, she’s very wise and a great leader.”

It was Qrow’s turn to chuckle, “Not at fourteen she wasn’t, kid. If I recall, at your age Ruby was in detention at Signal for getting crumbs in half the tools in the weapons workshop after she kept sneaking in cookies. It took them all weekend to get the place into working order again and from what I hear from Tai, there’s still mice.”

They both shared a quiet laugh before falling into a comfortable silence.

“May I?” Qrow shifted his arm, giving Oscar an in if he so chose.

Oscar smiled and shifted closer. Qrow looked relieved and carefully placed his arm around Oscar’s small shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze reminiscent of a hug. They stayed like that for a while, listening to the hum of the ship together. Up close Oscar would have expected Qrow to smell overwhelmingly of booze and bad decisions. Instead he only slightly smelled of whiskey. And something else. A dark woodsy smell, like smoke from a campfire. Whether that was cologne or just a natural scent Qrow carried with him from traveling Oscar couldn’t tell. He didn’t really care though, it was soothing. When Oscar started to drift off to sleep against Qrow’s side, the older man rubbed his hand up and down his arm gently to wake him back up.

“Hey, you should get some rest farm boy. We still have another hour or two until we get to Atlas. Gods only know what might be waiting for us there so you should sleep while you can. I’ll wake you when we get close.”

“You sure?” Oscar mumbled out from a yawn, “I’m sure the pilot seat is a lot more comfortable than the floor.”

Qrow rubbed Oscar’s arm again and looked over at Yang and Ruby, smiling fondly, “Nah. I’m okay right here. You just worry about getting some proper shuteye. I’m not growing anymore but for young farm boys such as yourself getting eight to ten hours of sleep is an important part of physical growth and mental health.”

Oscar closed his eyes and readjusted himself at Qrow’s side, “You sure you’re just an Uncle? Cause if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a parent.” He muttered sleepily, not much caring about the implications behind his words.

Qrow smiled down at the top of Oscar’s head, “Goodnight Oscar.”

“You’re dodging the question.” was the last thing Oscar got out before falling into a light doze.

“Yeah,” Qrow rubbed Oscar’s arm again, “I know, Pipsqueak. Sleep well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and I know no one asked but the reason I refer to Oscar’s aunt as Orla is because that’s just the name I’ve given her for story’s sake. Oscar is an Irish name so keeping with that trend + the letter O + colors = Orla; which means “golden princess.” Why gold? Because the state flower of Kansas is the Wild Sunflower. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.


	4. Lost Days of Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was always a little upset we didn't get to see the aftermath of Haven for multiple reasons, so this is just an attempt to fill in some of those blanks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick CW: There are descriptions of a panic attack in this chapter. It's not graphic but please tread lightly if need be.

On day one Oscar didn’t wake. He slept through Qrow carrying him back to the house and tugging off his boots before laying him to bed. He slept through Nora poking her head in the next morning and Ren dragging her away. He slept through Sun opening the door, walking halfway into the room, realizing that it wasn’t the bathroom, and then turning on his heel and stepping back into the hall to yell, “Hey who’s kid is this?!”

He slept through Qrow coming in and quietly placing a glass of water on the table. Through Ruby coming in and closing the curtains when the morning turned to afternoon. And even through the absolutely ordeal that was the Belladonna’s meeting the rest of team RWBY in the front room.

It wasn’t until day two when he woke up.

Oscar couldn’t remember ever being so tired. He remembered back on the farm when he would collapse onto his bed, sweaty and gross from a long, hard day of work. And then the morning after he would wake up, still a little tired and definitely sore. But it was always a satisfying sort of sore. Sore in his shoulders from working the tools into frost-hardened dirt. Sore in his back from pickling jars upon jars of crops and tying dozens of bundles of vegetables to dry in the root cellar. Sore in his legs from running back and forth trying to get all the animals rounded up and the stray tools in before the first snow. That was always a good kind of ache. He would climb out of bed, limbs feeling heavy and creaky, musing to himself that he must look like an old man the way he would hobble down from his loft.

And in the kitchen his Aunt would chuckle as he staggered in. Her limbs were hardened and tanned from years of working the farm by herself, so she was not without sympathy for his pain. She’d smooth back his mussy hair and kiss his forehead lighter and warmer than the sun ever did and fondly say, “Come on Oscar, you’re a Pine! And it takes more than a few creaking joints to get us to fall.” Then she’d pinch his nose and make him pancakes with whatever jam matched her fancy that day.

Right now though something was wrong. Oscar was dead tired. His limbs didn’t feel “good day’s work” achey. They felt bad. Like he had pulled every muscle in his body. Areas that he didn’t know could _be_ sore were dully throbbing. Slowly his brain woke up. Small pinpricks of light began to pierce the darkness as the dim light of what he assumed was morning, bled through his eyelids.

_Oh. Right._

As light came into his eyes, so did his memories of the battle float back into his periphery. He was too tired to discern what they meant though. Instead he let them drift by in a nonlinear parade of half-understood color.

Nora screaming. A stranger in black. A sense of familiarity that came with her but was not his. Flaring pain in his back and arms. A red cape inches from his face. The floor beneath his feet then air. Weiss’ shaking hands. Fire. So much fire but nothing truly burning. The smell of burnt flesh and hair. A bright white light.

On and on the memories flickered by. Then he noticed something strange floating by. Right before Weiss falling at the hands of the Fall Maiden, everything was bright and vivid. He _remembered_ it. Remembered Hazel. The way that man had looked at him in a way that chilled Oscar to the bone and made him more scared than anything had before. But then he remembered something _not._ Something that he didn’t register or feel at the time, yet here it was bright and fresh in his memories.

He remembered being confused.

_“I’m sorry.”_

_What?_

Then there were a pair of cold hands on his shoulders pulling him back. Pulling him down and away. They weren’t rough or harsh. These hands were gentle. But they were strong. They placed him somewhere deep where suddenly he was floating. Watching everything from somewhere that he didn’t think was anywhere. He couldn’t go back because there was nothing to hold on to. He couldn’t call out because he’d suddenly lost his voice. This place was alien to him. But it felt safe, and warm. So unable to do anything he floated and waited, watching his body move without his input and his mouth talk in a voice that wasn’t his.

Oscar traced his memories back to where they ended. When he had suddenly been pulled from that deep place, just as forcefully as he had been placed there, and been shoved into a body that was out of breath and overheating.

_Atlas. The Relic._

Oscar awoke fully, jolting up straight and dragging in a deep draught of air as though he had just come up from under water. He choked on nothing as the dull aches across his body flared into a fiery stabbing pain that had him dropping back onto the pillows with a weak cry.

_We have to get the relic to Atlas._

His body was too hot again. His breathing was unsteady. He could feel his heart racing in his chest although his head was quiet and calm. He thought about calling out, but he wasn’t sure who to. He could feel Oz still sleeping somewhere deep in his mind, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to him right now anyways. And Aunt Orla was, well, he tried not to think about that too much.

Before he could ponder too deeply into who he should call for, he heard a door open somewhere to his left.

“Oscar? You okay? We uh, heard a noise and thought you might be… awake.” an unsure voice murmured from the doorway.

_Mr. Arc._

_No._

_Jaune._

“Mmph, Jaune?” Oscar turned and looked towards the door. Sure enough there Jaune was, tentatively poking his head in.

“Hey buddy, glad to see you’re awake. Can I come in?”

“Hmmm.” Oscar hummed and closed his eyes, bringing his attention back to the burning pain making rounds across his body.

He heard the sound of the door opening slightly wider, then clicking shut, then boots treading lightly against the wooden floor. There was a dip in the bed as Jaune sat down and he opened his eyes again.

Jaune was looking at him with concern. Weird.

“What? Is it really that bad? Is Weiss gonna beat me up for having a facial scar cooler than hers?” Oscar muttered before he could stop himself.

Jaune’s look went from concerned to slightly amused, though the lines of worry didn’t completely smooth out of his forehead. He chuckled and reached out a hand to ruffle Oscar’s hair, “Well, you can’t be that bad off if you’re still making witty remarks like that. And no, physically you’re fine. You just need to rest. That fight took a lot out of you. You’ve been asleep for almost two days.”

“Two days!?” Oscar reactively tried to sit up again, but his body immediately disagreed with that course of action. He flopped back down, boneless as the pain returned and crashed through him. He writhed slightly as he felt his muscles twitch and tears gather at the corners of his eyes. He didn’t realize he was hyperventilating until he felt a warm hand pressing down on his chest.

“Hey, it’s okay Oscar.” Jaune tried to comfort him.

“No. No I really don’t think it is,” Oscar gasped, trying to even his breathing, “I don’t belong here. I shouldn’t be doing this stuff. I mean look at me!” He coughed slightly and took a few steadying breathes, “One fight and I’m out for two days?!”

“Well, yeah.” Oscar hadn’t noticed Jaune was holding a steaming mug until he placed it down on the nightstand, freeing his other hand to gently cradle Oscar’s head, wiping away some of the tears that had gathered in the corners of his eye “You’re not supposed to be good at this right away Oscar. And honestly, we’re all really impressed with how you fared in that fight.”

Jaune closed his eyes and Oscar was aware of a strange feeling washing over him. It felt like when he used to go swimming in the stream near the farm; and he would prop his feet against the rocks so the current just slicked past him. Cool and gentle, eddying around the curves in his shoulders and the bend of his knees, playing with his hair and flicking it up into funny little curls. Oscar look at Jaune’s hand on his chest and noticed it was glowing white and rippling like the shadows of water.

All at once he felt better. Jaune opened his eyes and smiled at his success, “It’s normal to be wiped out after your first real fight. Especially when you’ve not been trained like we have. You held your own though, and you should be proud of yourself.”

“Oz did most of the heavy lifting.” Oscar muttered again, keeping his eyes fixed on Jaune’s glowing hand.

At the mention of the headmaster’s name Jaune’s face scrunched up slightly in distaste. The hand on Oscar’s head shifted slightly as he used his thumb to brush away a lock of hair that had strayed close to his eyes, “Yes well, Oz is Oz and he isn’t part of the Oscar narrative right now.”

“You got that right.” Oscar closed his eyes again as he felt himself drifting back to sleep.

Just before his mind tipped back into the deep, warm pools of unconsciousness, he heard Jaune offer one last reassurance, “Rest well Oscar. You’ve earned it.”

Oscar woke again later in the day to a different hand on his forehead. He felt callouses and hard rings. Somehow, he knew this hand.

“Qrow?” Oscar croaked weakly and cracked open his eyes. The light in the room had changed. It was no longer the pale white light of late morning. Instead a rich golden glow flooded the room through closed curtains.

“Yeah, it’s me kid. How do you feel?” Qrow pulled his hand away and reached for some pillows that had appeared at the foot of the bed sometime while Oscar had been out.

“Like I’ve just plowed a small planet’s worth of fields.” Oscar groaned. He was acutely aware of a dull throbbing at the base of his skull.

“Not surprising. That was a lot for a first fight. ‘Specially for a pipsqueak like yourself.” Qrow poked Oscar’s forehead gently, “You hungry? Think you can eat?”

“Sure.”

Qrow produced a glass of water from the nightstand, “Okay good because if you said no I was going to be very worried.”

Hands shaking ever so slightly, Oscar took the glass as Qrow disappeared from the room. He reappeared a couple minutes later with a plate piled with pancakes that were still steaming.

“Did I sleep for another day again?”

Qrow ran a hand through his hair, “Heh, no. Just a few hours this time. The kids have been worried about you. And each other. They’re all still recovering too. I don’t think all of them have yet to be awake at the same time yet. So Ren’s been staying in the kitchen making food for whoever is up. We’ve got quite the crowd out there. I’m not sure you’ve even met half of them.”

“Who haven’t I met?” Oscar graciously took the plate and pushed himself up into a more manageable eating position, noticing for the first time that he was still in his work clothes.

“Well there’s Blake, the prodigal member of team RWBY. She dragged half the population of a small island with her as well, including her parents and another friend of hers. I think his name is Sun? The one with the abs.” Qrow had taken a seat at the foot of the bed.

“Are we sure I should meet them?” Oscar mumbled from around a mouthful of food.

“Not the most social person?”

“How would we explain, me?”

“Ah,” Qrow scratched his head, “well I hate to break it to you but we’ve already had to improvise that scenario. Sun accidentally walked in here yesterday and both the Belladonna’s were very curious as to why there had been a child on the battlefield.”

“What, did you tell them?”

Qrow coughed awkwardly, “Well uh, it was a little bit rushed but uh…”

“Qrow??” despite the sluggish feeling still sitting heavy in his chest Oscar’s panic was mounting.

“We told them you were Oz’s protégée back at Beacon and that I’ve had to take on your training since The Fall.”

There was a beat of silence.

“And they believed you?”

Qrow laughed and scratched his stubble, “Probably not entirely, but enough to waylay questions. Kali Belladonna didn’t look like she was going to kill me in my sleep for dragging a kid into a life or death situation at least.”

Oscar took a thoughtful bite of his pancakes, at a genuine loss for words.

The room was quiet for a moment as Oscar ate. Now that Qrow mentioned it, he could hear a considerable din from the main room. He wondered about this Blake person. He’d seen her briefly during the battle. Or more, Ozpin had seen her and Oscar had registered a sense of familiarity and surprise that came from him.

“How does this sound,” Qrow rubbed his stubble and Oscar shivered at the slight hissing noise it made, “you’re going to have to stay in here until the crowd clears out. My excuse was one thing but if you start walking around I’m worried they’ll start asking questions again. We need to be careful. So for now it’s out of sight out of mind. You okay with that?”

Oscar wiggled his toes experimentally. He could feel blisters that had formed while he’d been asleep, “It makes sense so yeah. I’m okay with laying low. Laying down even. Is every fight going to hurt this badly?”

Qrow laughed and stood, “It’ll get better with time kid, trust me. And don’t worry; the others should file out in the next two or so. And if not I’ll give them a little friendly shove in the direction of the door.”

Oscar laughed a little at the thought of Qrow pushing the entire New White Fang out of the house, “I can do that. Just make sure Ren keeps these coming.”

Oscar handed Qrow the empty plate, wincing as his shoulders twinged painfully.

“Heh, shall I tell Nora she’s got competition?”

“Nah. I’m not fighting anymore battles I know I can’t win.”

Qrow laughed and ruffled Oscar’s hair with his free hand, “I’m fine with that. One less kid to worry about having a weird self-sacrifice complex. Seriously, you guys are going to send me into an early grave. And that’s coming from _me._ Now rest up. I’ll let the rest of the kids know to leave you alone for now. But don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

And with that Oscar was alone again. He stared at the wall for a minute. Relishing the return of a silence in his mind he never knew he would miss. He wondered if it would ever truly return…

Alright, that was enough of that.

Stiffly, Oscar threw back the sheets and stood. He was still in considerable pain, but he needed to _move._ His back and neck cracked as he stretched and he heard both his shoulders pop followed by a strange tingling that ran along his biceps.

“Oh that’s not normal.” he groaned and flattened his hair from where Qrow had mussed it. He felt greasy. He should probably shower. And go to the bathroom. He pressed his ear to the door. He could hear a few voices. He recognized Ren’s low cadence and a gentle laugh that he didn’t know.

Oscar turned away and limped over to the dresser. He was the only one staying on the first floor. Qrow and all the others slept upstairs. It was a little lonely he’d admit; but when he’d first arrived it just hadn’t felt right for him to take one of the two person rooms upstairs. Qrow had offered to share and Ozpin had been the one to object to that almost immediately. Something about Qrow being a snorer when he was drunk? So Oscar had just ended up staying in the single bedroom downstairs.

And the bathroom was upstairs. Oscar pulled out a clean pair of sweatpants and a faded tank top. Maybe he could sneak upstairs and shower after everyone had gone to sleep. He peeled off his shirt, wincing at the smell. Yeah, definitely shower time.

Satisfied with his fresh clothes and full belly, he stretched again. That was a whole ordeal. His back pulled and burned in ways he didn’t know it could. His arms felt tight and strained and his legs buckled slightly. Oscar let out a slight gasp and stumbled back onto the bed. He lay there panting, staring at the ceiling. As much as he didn’t want to, he could feel himself wanting to cry again. This was all just too much. He closed his eyes and huffed past the knot in his throat.

“You’re okay. You’re fine. Everything is going to be okay.” he muttered reassurances to himself, not entirely sure if he really believed himself, until his heartrate slowed and he fell into a light doze.

***

Oscar’s late night shower escapade did not go as planned. When he woke up again after his impromptu nap it was with a jolt as a bowl shattered in the kitchen. He could hear the excited sounds of a group dinner and at one point Weiss brought him soup. After that, it wasn’t too hard for him to stay up a little later to make sure everyone else had gone to sleep. He’d had his fill of sleep for a while. Sneaking up the stairs and past the snoring body on the couch hadn’t been too difficult. And the shower had felt great. It was only after he’d toweled off and started to make his way back downstairs when he realized something was wrong.

He’d always preferred cold showers. They left him refreshed in the summer heat of Anima. But right now he felt hot. His skin felt flushed as though he’d just come out of a sauna. And his heart was racing. Probably from the scare he’d just had. Exiting the bathroom he thought he’d seen someone at the end of a hall. A silhouette he didn’t recognize. Then he’d blinked and it was gone. Replaced by a cluster of shadows. In the moment though it had made him jump; hard. Unconsciously he found him mind replaying snippets from the battle. Hazel screaming at him. Lionheart saying he’d take him to _her._ Like shots from Crescent Rose the memories flashed behind his eyes. Gone with a flash and a bang within a second.

Oscar blinked at the steps below him, unsure of whether it was just the faint, bluish lighting coming through the greenhouse skylight or exhaustion that was giving everything a very fuzzy edge. He went to lean against the wall for support, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to quell the sudden nausea that was creeping up his throat. There was a beat of air before he realized his mistake. Oscar’s eyes snapped open as his body pitched forward and down the last few steps.

Bruises he had caught glimpses of in the mirror but wasn’t able to bring himself to look at fully, screamed painfully as he thudded down and onto the first floor. Thankfully he managed to stifle a yell as he rolled onto his side the way Yang had showed him to break his fall.

He huddled by the bottom of the stairs for a moment waiting to see if he’d woken anyone up. He heard a loud snore from the couch and saw the twitch of a tail draped over the arm. Other than that, silence.

Missing the oddly familiar feel of Long Memory he slid up the wall and tried to take a few steadying breaths. Tried. It didn’t work very well. Oscar shook his head trying to clear the spots dancing around his eyes.

_“Oscar.”_

“Oz?” he gasped out. He barely registered the fact that the man was back and instead latched on to his comforting presence, “What’s happening?”

_“Oscar I need you to take a few deep breaths for me. I believe you are having a panic attack.”_

“A what? That sounds like you made that up.” Oscar curled into a ball. His hands clutched uselessly at his shirt as his heart burned behind his ribs.

_“A panic attack Oscar. And I can assure you it’s quite real. It’s your body reacting to undue stress and fear.”_

“Well, what do I do?” Oscar considered calling out for help.

It was late though. And Oscar was downstairs. Everyone he knew was upstairs. If he could even claim to know them. It had been what, a month? He wasn’t sure he trusted any of them enough to see him like this. Especially with strangers in the house.

Ozpin must’ve seen his thought process.

_“Would you like me to-?”_

“NO!” the word escaped Oscar between waves of panic and encroaching anger; perhaps a little too loudly. He struggled to slow his breathing, “No; we’re not- I’m not… _you’re_ not, I can’t. Not after last time.”

Oscar recoiled at the memory of the hands that weren’t pulling him back. A wave of anger quickly overtaken by panic crashed around his brain. From Ozpin he could feel naked remorse and a repeating mantra.

_“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”_

Whether it was Oscar remembering those words or Oz saying them he couldn’t tell. They echoed painfully through his memory and his mind. There was another spike of guilt from Oz.

_“Oscar I, truly regret what I put you through at Haven. But please understand I had your best interest in mind. As I do now. Please, let me rebuild what I have broken.”_

More black spots danced in front of Oscar’s eyes as he weighed his options. There were very few. Finally he decided to trust in the genuine show of concern and regret he could feel from Ozpin, “Okay. But promise me something.”

He didn’t verbalize it. He didn’t think he could. But he made sure Ozpin felt the memory of his panic, his confusion and helplessness at what he had done. Made sure he felt the burning feeling of violation that still clung to his skin, the idea that he wasn’t safe even in his own body. Then he brought forward what he was feeling now. His own vulnerable trust and consent to relinquish control. He crystalized that feeling for Ozpin clear as day.

_“Of course; I promise Oscar. May I?”_

Oscar nodded and braced himself. The transition was smoother this time. There was a tug as he was gently pushed away and placed slightly back. Shallower than he had been at Haven. Shallow enough that should he choose, he could take back control at any time. He was still panicking but he could feel his body calm down as Ozpin took several deep breaths. It only took a few minutes for Ozpin to still the tremors that had been wracking Oscar’s body enough to stand and head for the room.

“Oscar? Still with me?”

_Y-yeah._

His panic had subsided a little but he still felt too… off.

“Hmm. Do you know of anything that helps calm you down?”

_Uhhh, feeding chickens?_

Ozpin chuckled, pushing open the door to their room and stepping inside, “Well I’m afraid there aren’t any of those at our disposal right now. How about a fairytale?”

_A fairytale?_

“Yes,” Oz situated them on the bed, “I find a story can help soothe an unsettled mind.”

Oscar got a brief flash of a memory of him, _them,_ reading a story to two little girls as a storm raged outside.

_Okay. Sure._

With a gentle nudge Oscar found that Ozpin had opened a space for him so the both of them were “at the wheel” so to speak. Oscar realized that Ozpin had tucked them in quite well and was keeping enough control that Oscar’s panic didn’t prevent his body from relaxing.

_“Now then, let me tell you a story about a young girl named Thorn, and her friend the fox.”_

And so Ozpin began to spin a fantastical little tale about Thorn, who found herself being followed by a fox who simply would not leave her alone.

Ozpin’s voice was soothing as he recounted the story, revealing that the fox had mistaken Thorn’s fiery hair for another fox and was too lonely and prideful to admit its mistake.

“You should do this for a living.” Oscar muttered, mildly surprised he’d almost fallen asleep to the cadence of Ozpin’s voice.

_“Hmm?”_

“Tell stories. You’re good at it. It’s relaxing.” he buried his face further into the pillow, letting his voice fall away and his newfound comfort and calm bubble over his receding panic.

_“Heh, well, when you’ve been doing it for as long as I have I suppose one develops a knack for it.”_

“Brag about it why dontcha.” Oscar slurred through a yawn.

_“Would you like to hear another one then?”_

“Sure.” he snuggled down into the blankets and felt a strange sensation like someone was smoothing back his hair.

_“This one is called The Frog Ring.”_

Oscar was asleep before Oz finished saying, _“Once upon time.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter for the start of the new year! Thank you to everyone who had read this story and left a kind comment or kudos, I really do appreciate it so much and you all regularly make my day brighter. I think I might do Part 2 for Lost Days of Haven just because there's three weeks of missing scenes to explore and that is too good an opportunity to pass up. And let me know if there are any missing scenes you guys want to see in this fic! I have a few more specific ideas but I'm always open to suggestions (just nothing shippy please.)  
> <3 Swamp


	5. A Chance Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar and Clover ran into the room together in episode 9 of V7 implying that Clover went and found Oscar and cued him in and I just think they would’ve been good friends and that’s what this chapter is.

It had been two weeks since they’d touched down in Atlas and the team had started working with Ironwood. Oscar had realized very quickly after beginning operations, that he was not intended to be a part of them. Qrow had pulled him off to the side along with Ironwood and the head of the Ace Ops, Clover, to explain to him that he would be staying behind at Atlas Academy for the most part to focus on his training there. Perhaps if he’d been a little taller or had Ozpin backing him, he might have protested a little; at least attempted to make a case for himself. As it was though, he didn’t think three men all over six foot were going to listen to the complaints of a fourteen year old. Vessel of an ancient Wizard’s soul or not.

And so in agreeing to stay behind he resigned himself to what was turning out to be the loneliest training montage of his life. He felt like he barely saw his friends. Every now and then in training they’d work together as a team. It would never be too long after though when they’d be called off on another mission. Ironwood worked on training him too. And while Ironwood wasn’t terrible company, it was obvious that he was really just trying to get Ozpin back.

Oscar sat up in bed with a sigh. He’d pretty much resigned himself to being an insomniac in the past couple months. He didn’t think he’d even had a good night’s sleep since, well, since before he became acquainted with the voice in his head. He sat up in bed, listening. He could hear Nora’s gentle snores and a quiet shuffle from Ren turning over. Jaune’s arm hung limply over the side of the bed. Oscar poked it experimentally. Aside from a slight twitch of his fingers there was no response. Oscar swung his legs over the side of the bed and stealthily crept around the room. He didn’t bother changing out of his Atlas sweats and t-shirt. Though he did help himself to Jaune’s Pumpkin Pete’s hoodie that was draped over to the back of a chair. He tucked a deactivated Long Memory into the hoodie’s pocket and left the room.

Even with all the work he was putting in, it didn’t feel like enough. He’d train all day every day giving it his absolute all. Then his team would come back, sweaty and tired and talking about their day of meaningful exploits. And suddenly all Oscar had accomplished felt obsolete. He knew he shouldn’t compare his efforts and accomplishments to others. But with Jaune bringing home casseroles every other day and Ruby chatting nonstop about her adventures, it was hard not to feel inadequate. 

The training rooms were still open. The training rooms were always open in Atlas Oscar had found. He picked one of the smaller ones. More private. He punched in the code the General had given him and watched as the hard light dust grids rearranged themselves into a simple obstacle course with several dummies. Activating Long Memory he took a deep breath before jumping right in.

He leapt and vaulted and spun and flipped, jabbing at dummies and smacking down targets. Whenever he felt his body begin to correct itself he would take it back. Do it again until the memory of the move became familiar to his body. He wasn’t sure how long he was in there and when he got to a point where his arms shook from exertion he finally slowed down, lowering Long Memory and leaning heavily on it.

“You’re up late.”

Oscar jumped at the sudden voice behind him, spinning around and reflexively brandishing his cane.

His eyes fell on Clover, leaning against the doorway with a small smile. He had shed his uniform shirt leaving him in only his grey tank top and white pants. The casual look was alien on the man, who Oscar had only ever seen looking put together and professional.

“Oh, Mr. Ebi. Did you need something?” Oscar retracted Long Memory and tucked it away into the hoodie, suddenly feeling very foolish for no particular reason.

Clover chuckled and pushed himself off the doorframe, walking over to one of the lower blocks and taking a seat, “No need for the formalities Oscar. Just Clover is fine. And no, I didn’t need anything. I was just going over some mission reports and noticed some commotion from the training room when there usually is none.”

“Ah.” Oscar shuffled his feet, acutely aware of the fact that he was barefoot, “Yeah I guess that makes sense.”

“So, why are you up so late?”

Oscar shrugged and rocked back onto his heels, “Couldn’t sleep. Felt restless I guess. I-” he chewed his lip for a moment in thought, “I wasn’t really happy with my training today either.”

“Really?” Clover leaned back on his elbows and gestured for Oscar to take a seat, “That’s a surprise. I’ve reviewed your training footage with the General, you’ve already shown great strokes of improvement and I’m honestly highly impressed with your skill level given how long you’ve been at this.”

Oscar felt his ears burning red at the realization that _Oh yeah, they record that stuff and can watch me eat shit seven times in one session._

He took a seat across from Clover and tried to nonchalantly pull up his hood, tugging at the drawstrings, “I dunno. I just think I could be doing better. Everyone else is.”

“Well, don’t take this the wrong way Oscar, but speaking as the leader of a team of highly _specialized_ operatives, you really shouldn’t compare your own process to that of those around you. Everyone learns at their own pace. You just need to focus on you.”

“Hmm.” Oscar continued to twine his fingers in and out of the draw strings.

“You don’t believe me?”

He was glad he’d put the hood up, “No no! I get what you’re saying. It’s just, it’s harder said than done. And well, Ozpin is a lot to live up to and I don’t think that Ironwood realizes that I _can’t_ -“ Oscar clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing in horror that in his exhaustion he’d just as well let slip the one insecurity that had been weighing on him since Ironwood had first knelt in front of him and called him Oz. He stared at his toes, waiting for Clover’s inevitable admonishment.

When it didn’t come he dared to peek out from under the edge of his hood at Clover. Clover was staring at him with an open, unreadable expression. He looked caught somewhere between surprise and sadness.

Oscar opened his mouth, trying to think of a follow up. Something, anything to take away some of the weight of what he’d just said.

He came up blank. 

“Oscar.”

His eyes were suddenly trained back on his feet. He needed to rebandage his heels.

“Oscar, please look at me.”

With an inward groan of resignation, he looked up. Clover had leaned forward so his elbows were resting on his knees. Oscar realized for the first time, that he was wearing slippers with fish patterns on them.

“You know, I never knew Ozpin. I heard a lot about him. From James and just from news of the other academies. And he seemed like a great man, and an excellent headmaster and huntsman. But it’s not Ozpin I see in that training footage putting in his all every single day while his friends are gone. And it’s not Ozpin I see handing out bagged lunches after morning mission briefings.”

Oscar let out a nervous laugh, grateful once again for the hood.

“I suppose what I’m getting at here is, you should give yourself more credit. You’re working just as hard as any of your teammates. And I know they appreciate it. They talk about you on missions you know. They’re proud of you. And you should be too.”

“Really?” Oscar was equal parts flattered and horrified that his team was talking about him while they were off on their important missions.

_Ah, the mortifying ordeal of being known._

“Really. You’ve got some good friends Oscar. And while I may not know the circumstance that brought you here, I for one think you’re doing a fantastic job.”

“Thanks, Clover.”

“Anytime. Now, I’m afraid that while the training room may be open after hours, the General prefers people use them when they’re under proper supervision. Don’t want you twisting an ankle and ending up on the training room floor all night. And I think it’s past your sanctioned bedtime. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your room.”

Oscar trailed after Clover, feeling incredibly confused and very, very tired.

They walked in silence. It was comfortable.

“Oscar, if you don’t mind me asking,” Clover broke the quiet while they waited for the elevator, “Do you like training with James?”

The query took Oscar slightly off guard and he had to think for a moment. Did he like training with the General? Ironwood was easy enough to spar with. He didn’t necessarily go easy on him but he also didn’t pull his punches.

“I guess. He fights me like he means it. But it can be a little, unnerving fighting him sometimes? Like, he gets too into the whole ‘bringing back Oz’ thing and well…” he trailed off as the elevator dinged.

“Hmm. I understand. The General can certainly be a rather, intimidating figure.”

“Yeah.”

They disembarked and it wasn’t long after when they were standing outside team ALPN’s room.

“Well, good night Oscar. I’ll see you in the morning.” Clover held up a fist.

Oscar smiled and knocked his bandaged knuckles lightly against Clover’s scarred ones, “Night Clover. And thanks again.”

***

Oscar sat up the following morning with a groan. He could tell from the heavy silence that his teammates had already left for their morning mission brief. He smacked his lips, vaguely remembering waking up earlier for their goodbyes.

He smiled in spite of himself. They always tried to make sure they didn’t wake him up and for that he was grateful. But sometimes he would wake up enough to catch them. Nora would plant a gentle kiss on his cheek, Ren would brush his hair out of his face, and Jaune would rub the top of his head gently with the quiet promise, “We’ll see you later Oscar. Take care.”

He wasn’t really sure why they did it. He wasn’t complaining though. It was nice to know they still remembered him even with everything going on. Oscar rolled out of bed with a sigh, rubbing the spot where Nora had kissed him. He should probably get moving though. He usually tried to wake up early enough that he could meet up with them before they left and make them lunches if they needed them. He knew it wasn’t necessary but he also just didn’t think the Atlas military ration bars were very tasty, despite what Ironwood said about the nutritional value and “efficiency.”

Oscar was quick to get dressed and get his stuff together. He opened the door and stopped in surprise at the sight that met him. Clover was standing outside, one hand raised to knock and one hand tangled into the handles of two steaming mugs.

“Ah, perfect timing! Good morning Oscar, did you sleep well after last night?” he held out one of the mugs and Oscar reflexively took it.

“Uh yeah. I slept okay. What are you doing here Clover?”

Clover motioned for Oscar to come out and walk beside him, “Well, after our conversation last night I did some thinking. And this morning, I cleared a few things with General Ironwood. So now you’ll be having tri-weekly training sessions with me.”

“Wait, really?!” Oscar jogged a little to keep up with the man’s long gait.

Clover chuckled and shortened his steps, “Sure. I figured our weapons are similar enough. And perhaps you could benefit from training with someone who is interested in training Oscar; not just the ‘next Ozpin.’”

“Seriously?” Oscar was taken aback by the man’s consideration. He had clearly taken to heart what Oscar had told him the night before.

“Really. And you’ll find there are no prior expectations here either.” he winked and took a sip of his coffee, “Now, how about we get to the mess hall and get you some breakfast? Growing boy such as yourself needs a proper meal to start the day. And I’d like to go over some of your training footage that I compiled earlier this morning; you’re clearly getting better with your cane but I think you’re confusing yourself with your grip.”

Oscar smiled as Clover started talking about the ideas he had to help him improve. Maybe Atlas wouldn’t turn out to be so lonely after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oscar steals his teammates clothes absolute gremlin littlest sibling energy I will die on this hill. Also, kind of a sad headcannon of mine but ever since Pyrrha, Team JNR is super affectionate towards each other and their other and they always make sure to say goodbye.


	6. Saturdays are for the Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Ren decide to surprise their little brother with a day off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one goes out to my siblings. Our interactions heavily influenced the way Jaune, Ren, and Oscar interacted in this chapter. I miss you stupid bitches and you'd better be getting into trouble enough for all of us while I'm gone <3

“…And then that was when I realized that Fetch had gotten stuck! So there I was, defenseless, running low on aura, no backup in sight-“

Oscar nodded along as Marrow recounted his thrilling, though not entirely plausible, story of the mission that landed him a spot on the Ace Ops. Oscar was only half listening. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested. Rather that Marrow had cornered him the moment he’d left the training room for the day and had been talking at him for the better part of what felt like an hour. Oscar rose his eyebrows as Marrow gestured wildly, hoping that it would look like he was engaged. He really wasn’t. He was tired. Ever since Clover had started training him he felt more and more tired each night. And right now he just wanted to shower and go to bed.

Marrow cut himself off midsentence as his scroll pinged. He pulled it out in a rush and squinted at the screen, “Well, sorry to cut and run kid but that’s my part done. Talk to you later Oslow.”

“It’s Oscar. And yeah, for sure.” he waved halfheartedly as Marrow hurried off to do who knows what where else.

When he was sure he was alone, Oscar sagged against the wall and let out a hefty sigh, “That was weird.”

Marrow almost never talked to him. _None_ of the Ace Ops except for Clover really talked to him. So he wasn’t sure what warranted the interaction this time among others. Especially because Marrow was never just “hanging around” the training rooms.

Pushing himself off the wall, Oscar decided not to dwell on it. All he wanted to dwell in was the shower. He was sure his team was back by now. What they were up to was anyone’s guess. He felt a familiar pang of sadness at the thought that he didn’t know what his friends were getting up to. Their schedules were just too different. What little overlap there was, was either cashed in at training or spent sleeping.

Oscar paused outside his room and steeled himself for whatever inevitable chaos awaited him. He opened the door.

“Oh, hey Oscar! How’d training go today?” Nora asked cheerily from where she was stretching on a borrowed yoga mat. Jaune and Ren were no where to be seen.

“Um, it went well. I actually managed to land a few on Clover this time.”

Nora twisted slightly and Oscar heard a chorus of cracks and pops as she gasped, “Really?! That’s so awesome! I’m proud of you kiddo!”

Oscar smiled and pulled off his first layer of belts and his coat, throwing them onto his bed, “Thanks Nora. How about you guys? Did your mission go well today?”

“Sure did! The kids in Mantle _love_ Jaune and wall duty has gotten a little easier since some more Atlas huntsmen have been allocated there to help Ren and me out. So it was smooth sailing.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” he chucked off his boots, wincing slightly before throwing the socks into the small laundry basket they had, “Um, where are Jaune and Ren by the way? They didn’t have to pick up another night run did they?”

“Hmm? Oh! No no! They’re uh,” Nora turned her body so she was facing away from Oscar, “they’re out doing boy stuff. You know how it is.”

“Yeah I guess.” he unclipped his cummerbund and tossed it in the general direction of where his coat had landed, “Well, this boy is taking a shower and going to bed. I’m beat.”

Nora craned her neck to look back at him, “Did you eat any dinner?”

“Not hungry, sorry.”

“Oscar-!” her inevitable lecture was cut off as he gently closed the bathroom door behind him. He bit back another sigh as he turned on the water. He didn’t mean to be difficult. But some nights it just felt like too much effort to drag himself to eat alone in the cafeteria, still sweaty and gross and shaking from training all day. And it was such an ordeal when people would lecture him.

He got it; he was a growing boy who needed his proper meals and needed his proper sleep and needed to get Ozpin back so they could sort out this whole mess and he needed to train to be _better_ and his team was leaving him behind and-

Oscar cut off his train of thought there. He wasn’t up for _that_ tonight either.

Instead he peeled off the last of his battle gear and stepped into the cool water. He let his thoughts drift for a while as he scrubbed off a couple days’ worth of grime and gross. Eventually he found himself wondering how people could take hot showers. He’d tried them when he’d gotten to Haven at Ozpin’s insistence, who was sick of Oscar regular habit of cold showers. But they just didn’t do it for him. They dried out his skin, made his hair all oily, and left him feeling all choked up and flushed. He knew Jaune and Nora took hot showers. It was impossible to ignore the billows of steam that poured from the bathroom anytime either of them finished cleaning up in the morning or after a mission. He didn’t know how they could stand it.

Oscar finished rubbing the conditioner out of his hair. He didn’t use shampoo anymore. Not since Ren had told him what it does to hair. So now he, like the rest of ALPN, was a firm practitioner of the “condition the tips and rinse with cold,” method that Ren had preached to them almost religiously.

When he stepped out of the bathroom a short while later, fringes still dripping and donned in his slightly too-large Atlas pajamas, Nora was gone and the yoga mat was rolled back up in the corner.

Different schedules…

He huffed through his nose, folding his clothes and clearing off his bed. He dimmed the lights, leaving them just on enough that his teammates wouldn’t be completely in the dark when they came back. He wasn’t sure when they’d be back, but he was tired.

They’d be back. And he’d be here. If he was lucky then maybe when he woke up tomorrow, they’d still be there.

***

The next morning Oscar was dimly aware of his brain registering something _off._ As his mind slowly breached the caliginous beginnings of consciousness, the rest of his senses caught up and he realized. It was too quiet. He couldn’t hear Nora’s quiet snores, or Ren’s soft snuffles. The air above him felt empty; Jaune wasn’t in his bunk.

Oscar sat up and blinked at the empty room. He waited for a second to confirm that he was, in fact, alone and that his early morning brain wasn’t just playing tricks on him. Nothing. His team was nowhere to be found in their shared room.

He sighed loudly and rolled off the bed. Just as he was about to start getting dressed, the door hissed open.

“Oscar!” Jaune beamed, “Great timing buddy! I was just coming to get you.”

“Get me?” Oscar peered quizzically at Jaune, trying to figure out what he meant.

“Yep! Don’t bother getting dressed, you don’t need your battle gear today.”

“Jaune what-?” Oscar stopped as he realized that Jaune was in his civvies. No armor, no boots, just his Atlas sweats and his old Pumpkin Pete’s hoodie. And a pair of bunny slippers.

Oscar pointed and gave Jaune a look that clearly broadcast, _What?!_

“No time for questions Oscar! Now come on,” Jaune rushed forward before Oscar could protest and scooped him up, “we’ve spent all last night setting this up and according to Ren, time is of the essence!”

“Jaune!” Oscar struggled slightly, trying to regain some hold over the bizarre situation and his dignity, “What’s going on? It’s too early for this!”

Jaune laughed and readjusted his grip, clearly not intending to let Oscar down, “Nice try Farm Boy, but we all know you’re an early riser. And I can’t tell you, it’s a surprise. Now calm down or else you’re going to wake up the whole dorm.”

Oscar groaned and rolled his eyes as dramatically as he could before flopping down and letting himself become a dead weight in Jaune’s arms.

They walked for a while longer, thankfully not encountering any other people, before Jaune stopped in front of one of the break rooms. There was a sign taped to the front that read in big, blocky letters, **RESERVED FOR THE BOYS.**

Oscar waited for Jaune to put him down but instead he just kicked the door twice. There was a beat of silence before the door opened to reveal Ren wearing a pink apron that Oscar hadn’t seen since Haven. His hair was tied up in a lose bun and he was wearing his old sleeveless turtleneck.

“Gentlemen, welcome. Breakfast will be ready shortly.” Ren’s demeanor was cool and serious as ever, in spite of the inheritably silly situation unfolding around him.

It was only after Jaune had entered the room and Ren had shut the door when Oscar was dropped onto the couch. He quickly scrambled to stand, tottering slightly as his feet shifted in the plush cushions, and pulled out Long Memory which he’d managed to snatch before Jaune had snatched him.

He held the end under Jaune’s chin, a little more than eyelevel with his teammate, “Alright mister, talk. What is this?”

Ren shrugged and went back to the small kitchenette space while Jaune just smiled, “Surprise! We got a day off and we bullied Ironwood into giving _you_ a day off too! It’s a Boy’s Night! Only all day!”

Oscar slouched slightly and looked around. They were in one of the nicer rec rooms, with floor to ceiling windows on one wall overlooking a spectacular view of Atlas and a plush grey rug covering the floor. The right wall harbored a very boujee, high tech kitchenette, a large flatscreen TV took up the left wall across from the half-circle of dark blue couches.

And scattered across the room were what Oscar assumed were things for “Boys Night.”

He saw a precarious tower of boardgames stacked in one corner. An impressive collection of movies spilled off the coffee table. He craned his neck to look back at Ren in the kitchenette and took note of the mounds of snack foods and ingredients that covered the counters. There was a small speaker playing quiet music that had a nice beat, and there were several gift bags on the table near the window.

Oscar slowly lowered Long Memory as his brain finally caught up with his situation, “You,” he swallowed thickly, “you did all this, for me?”

Jaune’s energy dropped to a more serious level as he put a hand on Oscar’s shoulders, “Of course we did. You’re our little brother, and we wanted to let you know how much we appreciated you working as hard as you do.”

Oscar threw his arms around Jaune who in turn, hooked his around his back so one hand was gently cupping the back of his head, “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

The two stayed like that for a minute until Ren called quietly, “Pancakes are done!”

The tender moment was over as Jaune and Oscar scrambled over each other to get to the table. Jaune shoved Oscar who fell over on the couch laughing, “Hey! No fair you’re like twice my body weight!”

Jaune stuck out his tongue, “Snooze you lose!”

Oscar scampered over the back of the couch and dashed over. Rather than taking a seat, he wrapped his arms around Ren, who smelled sweet and warm. Ren only just managed to place the steaming plate down and stumbled a little as Oscar tackled him, “Been taking lessons from Nora, huh?”

“Hmm. I know you can handle it.” Oscar squeezed his quiet friend, “And thank _you_ as well, Ren.”

A gentle hand rested on the top of Oscar’s head as the other found a spot between his shoulder blades, “Of course.”

Ren’s pancakes were delicious. Oscar found himself starving after having not eaten since his lunch break the day before, and he was quick to dive into the fluffy, sweet pastries. After breakfast, he helped Ren clean up while Jaune rattled off the different boardgames they had, trying to pick one.

They couldn’t decide so in the end they took their top three and mashed them together into one giant hell game with no set rules except that if you got caught cheating, you lost. Ren won.

The gift bags, it turned out, were both for Oscar from Ren and Jaune’s trips out into Atlas and Mantle.

“Since you _refuse_ to tell us when your birthday is and Ozpin isn’t around to spill, we took the liberty of picking up a few things for you.”

Oscar was embarrassed, he hated people getting stuff for him, but Jaune and Ren were both so visibly excited and please with themselves he couldn’t find it in himself to protest. 

The first gift was a set of battle grade shoelaces that were a green to match his coat. The second was a Pumpkin Pete’s hoodie of his own.

“So you’ll stop _stealing_ mine.” Jaune had teased, ruffling his hair.

Oscar grinned devilishly at him, “Ha! Joke’s on you, this just means I have _two_ hoodies at my disposal now!”

There were a few other miscellaneous gifts that Ren explained were from the girls: a set of socks that had pairs with lemon, lime, and orange slices on them _,_ a mug with small pine trees on it and _Pine Trees and Coffee Please_ in swirly red print on it, and an “Ironwood Sucks!” flight tag keychain.

“Where are the girls by the way?” Oscar asked, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes after seeing the keychain.

“Well some of us have to be working.” Jaune explained.

“Oh yeah, what did you mean when you said you ‘bullied’ the general into giving me a day off?”

Ren took a sip of his tea, “It was easy to let him give us a day off. He’s been periodically offering them to us and Team RWBY. He was very insistent though that you needed the extra training. So we got Clover involved.”

“Yeah so technically Clover was the one who bullied Ironwood? But we helped.”

“Clover vouched for me?” the Ace Ops’ leader just kept the surprises coming for Oscar.

“Yep! He seemed very determined to get you a break when we told him that you don’t get days off.”

“Huh.” Oscar made a mental note to thank Clover when he saw him next.

“Here! This is your last present. Then we’re going to bake a cake!”

Jaune pushed a small box towards Oscar who was slightly off put by its innocuous nature compared to the rest of the things he had received. He opened it and stopped short. It was a necklace. A wooden pendant wrapped around a small oval of clear resin, within which was a bright, fresh looking clipping from a pine tree. He marveled at the simple beauty of the piece, pulling it out of the box and shining it in the light. The polished, lacquered wood shone just as smoothly as the resin.

“Since we’re not always together anymore, we thought you might like something that remind you that you’re Oscar Pine, proud member of Team JNPR. Or ALPN. We’re still figuring that out. Either way the coniferous motif holds up.” Jaune explained, nervously fiddling with the drawstrings on his pants. 

“I-“ Oscar’s breath caught in his throat as the resin caught the light, casting the wood grain into a whole new pattern, “thank you. Really guys, this means a lot to me.”

He put the necklace on and adjusted the leather cord so the pendant sat on the center of his sternum. It was a comfortable weight.

Jaune and Ren both stood and smothered him in a hug from both sides.

“We love you Oscar, don’t ever forget that.” Ren murmured and Jaune nodded in agreement.

Oscar sniffed before waving arms around in frustration, “Gah! You guys! You’re making me cry on Boys Night! Illegal! Come on, let’s bake a cake!”

Jaune and Ren laughed, letting Oscar up from his chair as they all migrated into the kitchen. They ended up baking more than just a cake. They also made cookies, mini cupcakes, and at Oscar’s insistence, cinnamon rolls. At one point, they realized they were missing half of what they needed, resulting in an afternoon espionage mission to the Atlas cafeteria kitchens to steal what they didn’t have.

Oscar didn’t think to ask _why_ they were baking so much until they were halfway through glazing the cinnamon rolls.

“Oh. The girls were upset that they couldn’t join in on Boy’s Night so we agreed that we’d make them pastries for when they’d got back. So _actual_ Boy’s Night is just going to be everyone.”

“So this is like, Boy’s Night day club?” Oscar offered, licking some glaze off his fingers.

Ren snapped his fingers, “Exactly.”

The baking took up most of the afternoon and it wasn’t long after they’d finished frosting the cake when there were two knocks at the door.

Oscar grabbed a plate of cupcakes, frosted in varying shades of pink and red, and ran over to fling open the door, “Boy’s Night!”

Team RWBY plus Nora were standing there, looking a little tired, but they were out of their battle gear and dressed comfortably in their civvies. Ruby’s hair was dripping from the shower and Blake looked like she’d already wiped off her makeup for the night. They were all smiling as they filed in, Yang ruffling Oscar’s hair as she passed.

With the rest of the teams there, it didn’t take long for things to get a whole lot livelier. Oscar tried explaining the chimera boardgame to Ruby and Blake, while Yang helped Ren cook actual food. Nora, Jaune, and Weiss meanwhile, had overtaken the couches and were arguing over which movie to watch first.

“Where’s Penny?” it hadn’t passed under Oscar’s notice that his fellow green bean was missing.

“Oh,” Ruby’s face fell a little, “General Ironwood called her out on another night run last minute so she couldn’t make it.”

Oscar screwed up his face in distaste, “That sucks.”

“Yeah. But! We promised Penny we’d have enough fun for her too, so no moping. Blake!”

Blake’s ears twitched in amusement, “Yes Ruby?”

“Do you have the stuff?”

Seemingly from nowhere, Blake produced a line of colorful bottles.

“Nail polish?” Oscar gawked at the vibrant hues.

“Pick a color,” Blake ran a hand along her trove as though she were a vendor selling wares.

Oscar chose orange. Of course. Blake was meticulous as she filed his chipped and broken nails before painting them. Not a single stroke of color strayed onto Oscar’s bandages and afterwards he couldn’t stop staring at the way the glossy color reflected the lights. He didn’t think his nails had ever looked this _pretty._

Ruby was next, choosing to get intermediate red and green. They had to put it away as Yang and Ren placed a large pot of curry and a bowl of steaming rice on the table with a declaration of, “Food!”

After dinner they dove into the pastries the boys had spent all day making, and settled into a sugary cuddle puddle around the couches. Jaune had put in some old movie about giant underground worms attacking an isolated town in one of the desert areas of Sanus that wasn’t quite Vacuo.

Blake kept working diligently to paint everyone’s nails until all of RRAYNBOW was admiring their gleaming digits.

It was when they were on to their third terrible movie that Oscar piped up from where he was squished between Jaune and Ren, “I like Boys Night.”

A hum of mutual assent rippled through the room.

“Might want to think about rebranding the name though,” Nora joked, popping another cupcake into her mouth.

Jaune let out a tired sigh, “Can’t say we didn’t try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The terrible movie they were watching is real btw: Tremors (1990) starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward and it's one of my favorite movies of all time thank you and goodnight.


End file.
